Rivers, whirlpools, rain, floods, underground flows: for Leonardo da Vinci water is at once a natural phenomenon, a scientific subject, a pictorial material, and a major technical challenge.

A universal genius of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) never ceased to observe, analyze, and glorify water, which he regarded as the vital force of nature and the hidden engine of the world. Through his drawings, notes, and engineering projects, he emerges as a true "master of water," anticipating by several centuries the sciences of hydraulics, geology, and even environmental studies.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition at the Clos Lucé, the artist's last dwelling, this catalogue offers a fascinating immersion into Leonardo's thoughts. It brings together autograph drawings, manuscripts, scientific studies, sketches of hydraulic machines, and works of art to show how water permeates his entire oeuvre, from painting to engineering. Dams, canals, flood-regulation systems, studies of currents and vortices testify to the striking modernity of his vision, in which observation of nature fuels technical innovation.

At the crossroads of art history, science, and contemporary issues related to water and the environment, this richly illustrated book is accompanied by essays written by specialists. Both an exhibition catalogue and a reference book, it offers a renewed reading of the Florentine master's oeuvre and invites readers to rediscover a visionary way of thinking—more relevant than ever at a time when the management and preservation of water constitute a major challenge for our future.